Attachment style and oxytocin receptor gene variation interact in influencing social anxiety

Notzon, Swantje; Domschke, Katharina; Holitschke, Karoline; Ziegler, Christiane; Arolt, Volker; Pauli, Paul; Reif, Andreas; Deckert, Jürgen; Zwanzger, Peter

doi:10.3109/15622975.2015.1091502

Cited by 54 publications

(27 citation statements)

References 46 publications

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“…Veterans with insecure attachment were at significantly higher risk of meeting screening criteria for PTSD if they had at least one rs53576*A compared to G homozygotes. This finding parallels results showing that insecurely attached individuals with an A allele were more socially anxious than G homozygotes (Notzon et al, 2016), and that OXTR rs53575 genotype interacted with negative social environments to predict PTSD symptoms (Lucas-Thompson and Holman, 2013). Further, the association between insecure attachment style and greater likelihood of probable PTSD is consistent with longitudinal observations of the effect of insecure attachment on PTSD symptoms (Franz et al, 2014) and extends previous findings in military samples (Currier et al, 2012; Escolas et al, 2012) to a nationally representative sample, and is clinically relevant given that an insecure attachment style has been linked to reduced treatment response among veterans with PTSD (Forbes et al, 2010).…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 85%

“…The OXTR SNP rs53576 has previously been found to interact with attachment style to predict social anxiety; individuals with an A allele and less secure attachment reported more social anxiety than G homozygotes (Notzon et al, 2016). In the only published study of OXTR rs53576 genotype and PTSD symptoms, among individuals with an A allele, a perceived negative social environment was associated with significantly increased PTSD symptoms (regardless of economic stress), while among G homozygotes, a negative social environment predicted elevated PTSD symptoms only for individuals reporting high economic stress (Lucas-Thompson and Holman, 2013).…”

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confidence: 99%

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Oxytocin receptor gene polymorphisms, attachment, and PTSD: Results from the National Health and Resilience in Veterans Study

Sippel

Han

Watkins

et al. 2017

Journal of Psychiatric Research

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The human oxytocin system is implicated in social behavior and stress recovery. Polymorphisms in the oxytocin receptor gene (OXTR) may interact with attachment style to predict stress-related psychopathology like posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The objective of this study was to examine independent and interactive effects of the OXTR single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) rs53576, which has been associated with stress reactivity, support-seeking, and PTSD in prior studies, and attachment style on risk for PTSD in a nationally representative sample of 2163 European-American (EA) U.S. military veterans who participated in two independent waves of the National Health and Resilience in Veterans Study (NHRVS). Results revealed that insecure attachment style [adjusted odds ratio (OR)=4.29; p<0.001] and the interaction of rs53576 and attachment style (OR=2.58, p=0.02) were associated with probable lifetime PTSD. Among individuals with the minor A allele, the prevalence of probable PTSD was significantly higher among those with an insecure attachment style (23.9%) than those with a secure attachment style (2.0%), equivalent to an adjusted OR of 10.7. We attempted to replicate these findings by utilizing dense marker data from a genome-wide association study of 2,215 high-risk civilians; one OXTR variant, though not rs53576, was associated with PTSD. Exploratory analyses in the veteran sample revealed that the interaction between this variant and attachment style predicting probable PTSD approached statistical significance. Results indicate that polymorphisms in the OXTR gene and attachment style may contribute to vulnerability to PTSD in U.S. military veterans.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 85%

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Oxytocin receptor gene polymorphisms, attachment, and PTSD: Results from the National Health and Resilience in Veterans Study

Sippel

Han

Watkins

et al. 2017

Journal of Psychiatric Research

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“…To the best of our knowledge, there was only one study with inverse results, reporting that the A allele did not have a protective effect. Specifically, there was a stronger negative effect of a less secure attachment style on social anxiety among A allele carriers ( Notzon et al, 2016 ).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 98%

Maltreatment, the Oxytocin Receptor Gene, and Conduct Problems Among Male and Female Teenagers

Andreou

Comasco

Åslund

et al. 2018

Front. Hum. Neurosci.

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The oxytocin receptor gene (OXTR) influences human behavior. The G allele of OXTR rs53576 has been associated with both prosocial and maladaptive behaviors but few studies have taken account of environmental factors. The present study determined whether the association of childhood maltreatment with conduct problems was modified by OXTR rs53576 genotypes. In a general population sample of 1591 teenagers, conduct problems as well as maltreatment were measured by self-report. DNA was extracted from saliva samples. In males, there was a significant positive association between maltreatment and conduct problems independent of the genotype. In females, among G allele carriers, the level of conduct problems was significantly higher among those who had been maltreated as compared to those not maltreated. By contrast, among female AA carriers, conduct problems did not vary between those who were, and who were not, maltreated. The results indicate that OXTR rs53576 plays a role in antisocial behavior in females such that the G allele confers vulnerability for antisocial behavior if they experience maltreatment, whereas the A allele has a protective effect.

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“…This contrasts with our previous finding in individuals with SAD that oxytocin’s effect on social cooperation was most potent for those who were low in attachment avoidance (Fang et al, 2014). Future research should examine the attachment-dependent effects of oxytocin on social cognition in SAD, as a recent study found a strong association between the oxytocin receptor genotype (rs53576) and insecure attachment among healthy individuals at risk for social anxiety (Notzon et al, 2016). …”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Working hard for oneself or others: Effects of oxytocin on reward motivation in social anxiety disorder

Fang

Treadway

Hofmann

2017

Biological Psychology

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There is some evidence to suggest that oxytocin promotes social behavior, especially for disorders characterized by social dysfunction, such as social anxiety disorder (SAD). The goal of this study was to examine the effect of oxytocin on reward motivation in SAD. We tested whether oxytocin promotes prosocial, or antisocial, self-directed decisions, and whether its effects depended on social anxiety severity and attachment. Fifty-two males with SAD received 24 international units of oxytocin or placebo, and completed a reward motivation task that measured willingness to work for self vs. other monetary rewards. Although there was no main drug effect, social anxiety severity moderated the effect of oxytocin. Less socially anxious individuals who received oxytocin worked harder for other vs. own rewards, compared to high socially anxious individuals. Attachment did not moderate this effect. Among people with SAD, oxytocin enhances prosocial behaviors in individuals with relatively lower levels of social anxiety. National Institutes of Health ClinicalTrials.gov Registry #NCT01856530. https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT01856530?term=oxytocin+pro-social&rank=2.

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Attachment style and oxytocin receptor gene variation interact in influencing social anxiety

Cited by 54 publications

References 46 publications

Oxytocin receptor gene polymorphisms, attachment, and PTSD: Results from the National Health and Resilience in Veterans Study

Oxytocin receptor gene polymorphisms, attachment, and PTSD: Results from the National Health and Resilience in Veterans Study

Maltreatment, the Oxytocin Receptor Gene, and Conduct Problems Among Male and Female Teenagers

Working hard for oneself or others: Effects of oxytocin on reward motivation in social anxiety disorder

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